--The EXCEED GAUGE (Nero only)Press and hold the L2 BUTTON three times to rev up Nero's EX Gauge. For every three revs, one gauge lamp will light up on Nero's HUD. Rev up the EX Gauge up to nine times to fill up all three EX gauges. This will power up the Red Queen and deliver some major damage to all enemies.

Also, when timed correctly, Nero can use an Instant Rev after performing a combo. Press the L2 BUTTON just as Nero starts a combo and one gauge lamp will light up automatically. This can only be done once per combo until you purchase the MAX-Act skill.

--SMOKIN' SICK STYLISH METERAs Nero and Dante perform combos on their enemies, the Stylish Meter will measure the combos and fill up the Stylish gauge. The more mixed combos that they can initiate WITHOUT getting hit, the higher the meter goes. To increase the meter, they must perform a different combo each time or else the meter will start decreasing.

There are seven names per gauge: DEADLY, CARNAGE, BRUTAL, ATOMIC, SMOKIN', SMOKIN' STYLE and SMOKIN' SICK STYLE. Even after the meter disappears on the screen, the gauge does NOT reset itself, which means Nero can continue racking up more stylish combos until he takes damage (which resets the Stylish meter down by two letters).

--ORBS & SOME JUNKThe main currency of the DMC games is a thing called Orbs. There are SIX different Orbs to collect (some harder to get than the rest):

RED ORBS - This Orb is used to buy Items such as Vital Stars, etc.GREEN ORBS - These fellas restore HealthWHITE ORB - This Orb restores lost Devil Trigger gaugesBLUE ORB - These babies increase your Health barBLUE ORB FRAGMENT - Collect four of these Orbs to complete one full OrbPURPLE ORB - These increase your Devil Trigger gaugeGOLD ORB - These babies revive you in battle and are the rarest.

--THE COMBAT ADJUSTICATORThroughout Nero and Dante's adventure, they will come across some weird looking statue thingie with blue or red flames. These things measure how much mixed combos you can make. Strike them with combos until a certain rank (BRUTAL, ATOMIC, SMOKIN', SMOKIN' STYLE, or SMOKIN' SICK STYLE) has been reached to destroy the Adjusticator. Destroying the Adjusticator will usually unleash Red Orbs and a Blue Orb fragment.

--EX STREAK: Nero can also charge up the Red Queen when you press and hold the buttons to perform the Streak. When done correctly, Nero will stand still while revving the Red Queen and will automatically do a Super Streak when the buttons are released.

--EX HIGH ROLLER: Perform a High Roller attack with one (or more) gauge lamps lit up and Nero will perform a Super High Roller. Press the Rev button again in mid-air to do an Instant Rev.

This list will explain the strategies for defeating each and every single enemy.

--SCARECROW (LEG & ARM)--CHIMERA SCARECROW--MEGA SCARECROWAside from the occasional cheap attack, all the scarecrows are quite easy to dispatch with some hard combos and Busters.

--CHIMERA SEEDSimply tear this thing apart with a Buster grab or Stinger.

--FROST--ASSAULT--CHIMERA ASSAULTAerial attacks are the key to defeating these guys. Launch them into the air and then use an aerial combo + mid-air Buster grab.

--ANGELO BIANCO--ALTO ANGELOThese guys all have a weak spot: their backs. While they can block all your attacks, it leaves them vulnerable from the back, so roll or jump behind them and just whack away and laugh.

--MEPHISTO--FAUSTThese guys are weak against the Buster punch (for Nero) and the Coyote-A (for Dante). Weaken them with these attacks to reveal their true form and then just wail away on their weak bodies.

--FAULTThese things cannot be killed but you can shove two quick Stingers in their face to unleash some Green Orbs.

--GLADIUS--CUTLASS--BASILISKSThe Gladius and Cutlass are all victims to the Grim Grip. Simply grab them and then wail away with hard combos. In Dante's case, use the Coyote-A to stop them in their tracks. As for the Basilisks, just use projectiles against them.

--BLITZThis douchebag only appears twice in the game (in Dante's missions) and makes cameo appearances in Mission 19 (if you're unlucky to get him). So far, the only way to stop him is to shoot a nonstop barrage of bullets at him until he gets knocked out. Once he gets knocked out from lots of bullets, wail away at his weak body. After he gets knocked out twice, he turns red and starts blasting the place. Dodge the blasts and then he'll just explode. LIKE A BITCH.

This section will list a bunch of advanced tips and tactic for you to use. As you start replaying missions, these tips will begin to make more sense. Trust me, they will.

--ABUSE THE BUSTER GRABNero has a special grab move for all the enemies (and bosses) in the game. Abuse the Buster on all of them to get the full benefit of the combat system.

--REV UP BEFORE FIGHTING ENEMIESRev up the Red Queen to max power just before jumping into battle. If you know that a certain enemy might require some extra juice to defeat, then Rev up before you encounter them!

--INSTANT REV IS ONLY FOR ADVANCED PLAYERSIf you have impeccably perfect timing, then using the Instant Rev will be helpful when fighting most of your enemies. But it is less likely that you'll be using it after Mission 5, so stick with manual Revving.

--DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE HEALING ITEMSA lot of so-called "advanced" DMC players might look down upon you for using healing items. Those reprehensible pricks can all B-L-O-W ME. If you need to use a Healing Item, then DO IT. It will affect your ranking by a small margin but that shouldn't discourage you!

--I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT UP!Healing Items are not cheap in this game. Fortunately, you are allowed to replay previous missions to gather up as much Red Orbs as needed. Replay a mission as much as you want and then purchase all that you need on the next mission. This method is known as "farming".

--YOU DON'T NEED TO PURCHASE EVERY SINGLE UPGRADEThere are a few essential moves that Nero and Dante need while the rest are just additions. For example, you don't really need to purchase the Air Hike simply because it doesn't make combat any easier. But if you are a whore for Achievement Points...then by all means, buy them all!

--DEVIL TRIGGER IS NOT A NECESSITYIs it possible to defeat all the bosses in the game without ever having to activate DT? ABSO-DAMN-LUTELY! I would consider you more of a REAL advanced player if you can get through the entire game without using that pesky Devil Trigger (especially on DMD Mode).

This battle should not be too difficult to complete. For most of this battle, Dante will only do three moves:

--TAUNT--RAPID GUNFIRE--HELM BREAKER

Stay in close to Dante (so that he doesn't use his guns) and perform some hard combos on him. You won't be able to do a full aerial combo on him, so stick with regular combos instead. Stay evasive because eh will use his Helm Breaker attack to throw you off. Dante will also be evasive of the Buster attack, but don't hesitate to use it anyway.

Keep up the pressure on Dante and, while you're at it, Taunt him as well. Defeat Dante to complete the mission.

Head north and make your way to the opera gates. A couple of Scarecrows will appear for you to eliminate. Test out your hard combos and eliminate them one by one.

Once you're done fooling with them, go to the right side of the opera gates to see a light blue door (the camera angle will change). Enter inside to the Storehouse for a short cutscene.

As you enter the storehouse, you'll see a giant Red Orb hidden in an upper alcove (it's a Gold Orb in the Xbox 360 version). To retrieve it, jump towards the wall and Nero will do a Kick Jump. Grab it and continue going up the stairs to the next area.

--OBJECTIVE: TEST OUT THE BUSTER GRAB

Eliminate the three enemies that appear here by testing out Nero's grab move. Or if you already discovered it, then screw it! Kill 'em off already! Once that's done, exit outside.

++AREA: CATHEDRAL

--OBJECTIVE: OBTAIN THE EVIL LEGACY

Enter the next doorway to the Cathedral. Make your way all the way to the bottom of the area and approach the large blue altar to receive a new power: EVIL LEGACY. This new power will allow Nero to extend the Devil-Bringer and use it to grab far away objects.

Before you approach the blue crest, explore the area for some goodies first! On the second floor are some cages (or prison cells). There is a Vital Star S and a Green Orb to collect using the Grim Grip.

Once all the stuff is collected, approach the glowing blue crest in the center of the room and use the Grim Grip move to catapult to a higher area. Look for the next blue crest and catapult to the exit. Before you exit the Cathedral, use the Grim Grip to grab the large Red Orb!

For this mission, Nero has 60 seconds to eliminate eight Scarecrows. As easy as it sounds, you may not be able to kill them all that quickly without some juice. To kill them all quicker, use Nero's Instant Rev (from the EX-Gauge) to power up his sword after each attack. Rely on using sword combos and try NOT to use too many aerial Buster attacks. For your effort, Nero will receive his first Blue Orb Fragment!

Copy and paste this URL to see how to complete this mission:http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/173235.html

Once you're done poking holes in the raisin bag, continue with the mission. Grapple to the next terrace and eliminate the enemies that block the way until you reach the next area.

--OBJECTIVE: TEST OUT THE SNATCH MOVE (that's what she said)

Eliminate some more enemies using the new Snatch move and then exit.

++AREA: RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Jump down to the lower area to find some more dummies to eliminate. Kill them off and then let's do some exploring! Mid-way through the area, you'll notice a large glowing Red Orb statue. Approach the statue and destroy it to unleash bunches of Red Orbs. After the statue is destroyed, jump down and make a left turn near the statue to find an alley with more Red Orbs.

Jump to the rooftops to find a more Red Orbs and the Blue Orb Fragment in a hard-to-see corner! Jump down towards the exit and you'll see a small grassy field with a watchtower near the ledge. Use a Kick Jump on the tower to land on the top of it to find a large gaggle of Red Orbs!

Jump down and then hightail it to the exit door.

++AREA: PORT CAERULA

--OBJECTIVE: ACTIVATE THE BRIDGE

Navigate through the port and find the blue crest. Catapult to the next area and then enter the Customs House. Once you enter, more enemies will emerge. WHATEVER.

Once the enemies are in the dirty swirly, approach the blue mechanism and attack it until the blue energy blocking the way dissipates. Jump up to the next area and then approach the controls to activate the bridge. Now exit the Customs House and head back to the previous area.

Catapult outta there and make your way to the next area where you activated the bridge. Kill more fatties and then exit the area.

++AREA: FIRST MINING AREA

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Enter the next area and jump down to find a large collection of Red Orbs in the waterway. Now approach the Grim Grip and grapple to the upper ledge.

Notice that there is a Divinity Statue on the right and a blue Combat Adjusticator on the left. Approach the Adjusticator and start hammering some mixed combos at it. Keep striking it until Nero receives a BRUTAL rating and this will unleash a Blue Orb Fragment!

Once you're done going down to Dixie, stock up at the Divinity Statue if you need to and then exit the area.

B-boy is a pretty strong boss with lots of heavy firepower up his fiery arsenal. He likes to use heavy swipes with his sword and the occasional jumping attack. B-boy has two main attacks that he uses a lot:

--ARMAGEDDONWhen B-boy flames out and loses a large chunk of health, he initiates a deathblow explosion attack followed by an aftershock. This CAN be avoided by simply running away BEFORE he initiates the attack.

--FIRE PITSHe will punch the ground to initiate this attack. Simply use evasion rolls as they fire up underneath Nero.

The main way to defeat Berial is to use the Devil-Bringer to catapult above his head. Approach Berial and catapult towards him and then perform a mid-air combo. Be quick though! Before Nero lands on the ground from the combo, continue to catapult above B-boy's head and attack him in mid-air as he walks around the arena.

Continue the aerial assault on Berial's head (while evading his sword attacks) until he flames out and keels over in pain. When he's down, approach him and use the Devil-Bringer to trigger a cool grab move on him to throw him back.

After Berial gets knocked out, he launches his Armageddon attack. RUN AWAY! If you don't run, you'll get caught in the Armageddon attack! To recover any lost health, have Berial destroy the houses to unleash some Green Orbs. Keep catapulting and slashing away at his head until B-boy is down and out. After the battle, go up the stairway and go all the way to the top of the hill to complete the mission.

Make your way down the tracks and make a hard left turn at the first intersection. Aside from the enemies, you'll see a barricade blocking a Red Orb statue. Break down the wall and start getting those Red Orbs!

Once that's over with, eliminate those delicate little flowers and continue down the mine to the waterfall area. Jump up to the top of the area by using the Grim Grips floating above.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

As soon as Nero grapples to the top, you'll notice there are two more Grim Grips high above. Jump towards them and grapple them. When Nero grapples the second one, do a kick jump on the wall to jump higher and you will see THREE more Grim Grips AND a Blue Orb Fragment. Grapple past those grips to land on the platform with the Blue Orb Fragment!

Believe it or not, there is ANOTHER Blue Orb Fragment in this cave! Read the info below to find out how to reach this well-hidden item

In the same area where you found the first fragment, there is a well-hidden path across the second mining entrance doorway (where you encounter some more scarecrows). To reach that hidden path, Nero needs to use the Streak to jump across the chasm, perform a Roulette Spin attack to elevate higher, and then use an Air Hike to make it toward the hidden ledge. Break down the wall to find the Blue Orb Fragment hiding inside a mine cart in the alcove!

Now jump back to the mining entrance and enter the next area to eliminate some more baddies. But before you exit the area...

--OBJECTIVE: OBTAIN A YELLOW ORB

There is a hidden alcove just near the exit of the mine shaft. Make a left turn and you'll find a YELLOW ORB (it's a Vital Star M in the Xbox version)! This item resurrects you in mid-battle in case you perish. Grab it and then leave.

++AREA: FORTUNA CASTLE GATES

Make your way to the upper left side of the hill to find a large Red Orb sitting on top of a ledge. Jump up and grab it and continue down the hill to the next area. Destroy the small pillars to restore health and continue towards the bridge to trigger a cutscene with a new enemy.

--NEW ENEMY: FROSTAfter the cutscene, it's Twing-Twang time! The Frosts are a strong and sneaky bunch and you'll need to be on your feet to defeat them. They like to toss ice projectiles and attack from above. Evade their projectiles and use hard aerial combos on them to defeat them. For better results, try to battle all the Frosts close together. When Nero uses the Buster on them, they will get hit as he spins them around, so get to it. The more Busters, the better!

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE SECRET RED ORBS

When all three Frosts are toast, the red energy will disperse. Do NOT leave the area just yet! There is a stairway next to the large pillar structure that leads all the way back up to the Fortuna Castle Gate area. Does it make any difference? Not really, but just so you know.

Also, in the area where you encountered the Frosts are four large pillars. Jump and land on top of two of the pillars to reveal a large gaggle of Red Orbs. There's nothing else to do in this area, so make your way to Fortuna Castle to trigger a cutscene with the BOOBTASTIC extraordinaire Gloria! When the cutscene ends, enter the castle.

++AREA: THE GRAND HALL

There is nothing to do inside the Grand Hall (well, except break open the chairs and pews for Red Orbs). The upper part of the room is blocked by blue energy, so ignore it. The Grand Hall has two doors: a Green door on the left side (near the Divinity Statue) and a Red door on the right side of the room. Enter the GREEN door to the next area.

++AREA: LARGE HALL

--OBJECTIVE: ENTER THE TORTURE CHAMBER

This giant hallway is filled with Scarecrows and some Gyro Blades. Ignore the Gyro Blades for now. Destroy the enemies if you want and then explore the hallway. You'll notice that when you make it to the other side of the hall, the Red door exit will lead Nero BACK into the Grand Hall. When you're done exploring the large hallway, go back to the other side (near the Green door) and look for the side hall with another Red door.

++AREA: TORTURE CHAMBER

Enemies will appear, so get to eliminating them! When all of them are gone, enter the next room and go up the stairs. It's PUZZLE TIME!

On your first try, this puzzle might seem difficult, but its not. If Nero screws up the puzzle or he hits the spikes on the roof, he lands to the bottom of the Torture Room and has to fight some enemies. This will happen every time you screw up, so BE CAREFUL! Now stand on the blue crest and use the Grim Grip to land on the first ledge. Catapult to the very next ledge but DO NOT move just yet!

Notice that there are TWO Grim Grips: one in the middle and one behind it that moves left to right. When the moving Grip is within the middle, catapult twice to the next ledge and then WAIT! Three more Grim Grips will appear. Wait for the closest one to appear and then quickly catapult three times to the next ledge and then WAIT!

As soon as Nero lands, wait for the three previous Grim Grips to disappear. Now TWO more Grips will appear: one that appears and disappears and one stationary Grip behind it. When the Grips appear, catapult to the next ledge and then WAIT!

Three final Grips will appear: one near Nero, another moving Grip in the middle, and a stationary Grip behind it. Time your catapults correctly and Nero will land in the narrow hallway! WHEW-WEE! Enter through the doorway to the next area.

If you're still having trouble with this puzzle, copy and paste this URL to see how it's done:

You will end up back in the Grand Hall. Make your way to the adjacent side (the right side of the hall). See those Red Orbs on the wall? Jump towards the wall to grab the first one and then use a Kick Jump + the Grim Grip to grab the Red Orb up on top. Now exit the area using the Red door.

++AREA: CENTRAL COURTYARD

As you make your way up the stairs, Rev up the Red Queen to full capacity. Make your way down the balcony terrace to encounter two Frosts. Eliminate them with a revved up attack and use hard aerial combos on them. If you are taking too much damage from them, then EVADE by rolling towards them and battling them close together. Once the Frosts are gone, exit the terrace using the other doorway.

++AREA: FORIS FALLS

There are no enemies here, so make your way down the stairs. Go all the way down to the bottom of the terrace to see a strange pink-colored light pole. Above the pole is a Vital Star L. To retrieve it, use a Kick Jump and Grim Grip to grab it.

With the item in your stash, go up the stairs and exit the area (ignore the red Combat Adjusticator).

++AREA: CENTRAL COURTYARD

Yup, it's the same place, but only on the other side. Two Frosts will appear (again), so Rev up and bring the pain! Exit the area using the stairs to go back inside to the Grand Hall.

++AREA: GRAND HALL

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Approach the fiery blue mechanism and strike it until it releases the blue energy in the room. But before you do anything else, there is a Blue Orb Fragment just itching to be found. Just near the newly opened doorway is a large mirror on the wall. Jump up and smash it with combos to reveal a secret alcove with a Blue Orb Fragment floating inside!

Alright, now enter the newly opened doorway and exit to the next area.

++AREA: GALLERY

As you enter the Gallery, some more scarecrow enemies will appear. Snuff them all out to clear the area. Now exit to the next area.

++AREA: LIBRARY

--OBJECTIVE: OBTAIN THE ANIMA MERCURY

Approach the Divinity Statue and power-up whatever you need to power up. The next area will be a sub-boss battle, so be prepared!

The Angelo Biancos are NOT too tough as they look, but you still need to be quick on your feet. These Knights have a few attacks:

--JOUST STRIKE--AERIAL JOUST STRIKE--SHIELD SMACK

The Knights will spend most of the time guarding themselves (or flying in the air). If you attack them from up front; they will block and then smack you with their shield (or poke you with their joust) if you don't move away. As for the floating Knight, he will spin around to do an aerial joust strike, which you can simply evade. You can knock down the floating Knight by using the Buster on him.

So how do you defeat these guys then? Simple! While they do have some painful joust strikes, you can AVOID all that pain by simply rolling BEHIND them. Yes, when you roll behind them, the Knights will NOT see you and will assume you are in front of them. Assault them from the back with a barrage of Streaks and aerial combos. Keep the pain raining on them and then end the battle by using the Buster. That was easy!

Once you're done going cannibal on these fools, approach the yellow-glowing pedestal in the next room to receive a new item: the ANIMA MERCURY. This item will allow Nero to activate and move the Gyro Blades inside the Large Hall. MISSION COMPLETE!

--MAIN OBJECTIVE: USE YOUR NEWLY EARNED POWERS TO GATHER THE FOUR GYRO BLADES!

++AREA: LIBRARY

Approach the Gyro Blade inside the Library and use the Buster to activate it. The only way to move the Gyro is to punch it with the Devil-Bringer. The only problem is that when Nero punches the Gyro, it only moves about a foot away each time.

The fastest way to move the Gyro is to attack it with the sword and then punch it. When Nero strikes it, the Gyro will start spinning. Punch the Gyro while it's spinning to hurl it like a pinball across the room! Cool move, huh? Use the Gyro to break the door open and then leave the Library back to the Gallery.

++AREA: GALLERY

--OBJECTIVE: USE THE GYRO BLADE AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES

More enemies will appear including a pair of Frosts. Not to worry! Quickly approach the Gyro at the end of the room and activate it. Spin the Gyro and then punch it to hurl the Gyro around the room like a killer sawblade. The spinning Gyro will instantly kill the Scarecrows and damage the Frosts like crazy! Continue using the Gyro Blades until the room is clear. Now exit the area back to the Grand Hall.

++AREA: GRAND HALL

--OBJECTIVE: DESTROY THE SEALED COFFIN

Jump down to the lower floor of the Grand Hall. There is a Gyro Blade at the front of the room, so approach and activate it! Hurl the Gyro towards the coffin to destroy it. After the coffin is gone, there is nothing else to do, so enter the Green door to the Large Hall.

++AREA: LARGE HALL

--OBJECTIVE: SOLVE THE GYRO BLADE PUZZLE

Alrighty, get ready for the easiest yet longest puzzle! Near the Green doorway (where you entered) is a sealed off Gyro Blade at the end of the wall. You'll need another Gyro Blade to break the seal.

Make your way to the middle of the Large Hall to find the Gyro Blade altar. Two Gyro Blades are already in place, so activate one of them and then hurl it towards the sealed wall. Remember to spin the blades and then punch the Gyro so that it instantly kills all the scarecrows that block the hall. Break the seal and then you'll release the third (out of four) Gyro Blade.

With two Gyro Blades to move, Nero can only activate and move one Gyro at a time. Hurl both Gyro Blades to the altar and place both of them back into its place at the altar. One more to go! Now go to the other side of the Large Hall and enter the Brown doorway to the next area.

++AREA: DINING ROOM

Whoa-oh! A pair of Biancos will appear in the area to crash the party! Eliminate them the same way as in the previous mission to clear the area. Now exit the Dining Room to encounter another puzzle.

--OBJECTIVE: USE THE GYRO BLADE AS A SHIELD

The adjacent hall will spew large fireballs every few seconds. Activate the nearby Gyro and hurl it towards that hall. Stand behind the Gyro and continue to hurl it towards the fire-spewing wall. Destroy the wall to reveal a special treat. Approach the wall and examine it to find the next Secret Mission!

This mission requires Nero to perform a mid-air Buster FIVE times WITHOUT touching the ground! Let me explain how it works:

--Jump up and use the Grim Grip to grab one enemy--Release the Lock-On button and press the CIRCLE BUTTON to perform a mid-air Buster--As soon as Nero throws the enemy down, quickly press and hold the Lock-On button and do another Grim Grip while still in mid-air--REPEAT UNTIL FINISHED

The timing for this move will take some practice, but once you figure it out, I guarantee you will never stop using it in combat.

Copy and paste this URL to see how to complete this mission:http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/173403.html

Once you're done swingin' the hammer on that mission, exit the room to the next area.

++AREA: LARGE HALL

More scarecrows will appear here. Eliminate them to disperse the red energy and to reveal a fiery blue mechanism. Strike the mechanism to open the doorway and then approach the fourth Gyro Blade.

Activate the Blade and hurl it towards its place in the Gyro Blade altar (while slicing the scarecrows in the hall with it) to solve this goddamned puzzle! Finally! Now enter the newly opened doorway to encounter a new boss...?

The battle begins with Nero battling the Rusalka twins. They rarely inflict any damage, so keep using the Streak on them until the REAL boss finally shows his big fat slimy ass.

Battling Bael is very similar to battling Cerberus from DMC3 (only without the three heads). Bael has a bevy of attacks:

--ICE SPIKES--ICE RAIN--CHOMP-AND-CHOMP--ICE DECOY--BODY STOMP

All of Bael's attacks are easy to evade. Run to the left or right side of Bael to avoid getting damaged from his mouth attacks. Use the Devil-Bringer to grapple closer and use aerial combos on him. That's pretty much it. When Bael loses a large chunk of health, he expands his body and then disappears, leaving only the Rusalka twins.

Damage the twins (watch out for their blade swipes) until Bael shows up again. Another way to bring Bael out of hiding is to grab one of the twins. Most of the time, the twins just flitter around the area. But when one of them starts floating towards you, it means she'll grab and freeze you. Use the Grim Grip and then use the Buster to shove Bael out from his hiding spot.

Continue to evade his ice attacks and AVOID standing in front of him. When he jumps up, his shadow will indicate that he'll drop on top of you, so quickly roll away and continue pounding some combos until his health has been depleted.

Once Bael is down for the count, approach him and use the Devil-Bringer to trigger the final blow towards this big fat blob. Once it's all done and over with, collect those Red Orbs and exit the courtyard to complete the mission.

--NEW ENEMY: MEPHISTOIt may seem a little bit difficult at first to kill the Mephisto enemies, but there is only one way to do it: use the mid-air Buster. Yup, avoid trying to do mid-air combos at it. Instead, jump towards Mephisto and use a mid-air Buster to punch him in the face.

It'll take a few tries to jump close to them, but all it takes is a few Buster punches to the cranium to reveal its true lizard form. Keep using mid-air Busters on Mephisto until its lizard form falls to the ground. From there, use whatever combos you want on it to kill it! Kill both of these things to clear the area.

--OBJECTIVE: USE THE RUSALKA CORPSE TO FIND A SECRET MISSION

Destroy all of the tombstones and pillars to get Red Orbs. Near the exit stairway is a metal fence on both sides. Destroy the fence and then go under the stairs to find another Secret Mission door!

Once the Secret Mission is done (or not), exit the graveyard to the next area.

++AREA: MASTER'S CHAMBER

More Biancos will show up to greet you, so greet them back with a sword to the cranium! Once you're done splattering their shields, the Rusalka Corpse will indicate that there is another Secret Mission in the room.

Approach the fireplace and jump above it. Destroy the mirror to reveal a secret alcove to another Secret Mission!

For this mission, Nero must use ONE Gyro Blade to destroy FIVE pedestals located in the Large Hall. Activate the Gyro, attack it to spin it, and then punch it to hurl it across the room. Destroy all five pedestals within two minutes to complete the mission. Trust me, this will be too easy.

Once that's done, exit the room to encounter the Biancos again. Kill them off (or don't) and then exit the room to a familiar place.

++AREA: TORTURE CHAMBER

Approach the fiery blue mechanism and strike it to open the metal gate and lower the spikes. Now activate the Gyro and hurl it to the other side and destroy the pedestal to trigger a cutscene.

++AREA: PRISON DEPTHS

--OBJECTIVE: OBTAIN THE WING TALISMAN

Two Mephistos will appear, so get to it and Buster them to death! After you're done blowing curry up their butt, approach the mantle and grab the WING TALISMAN. This item enables Nero to jump to super high places that have a red-glowing crest on it. Jump on the first red crest and jump up to the next one.

As you jump higher, you'll notice that there are ledges near each crest. If you can direct Nero to make him land on the ledge, you will find a few goodies like Red Orbs and a Red Orb statue. Now jump your way out of the chasm back to the Torture Chamber.

++AREA: TORTURE CHAMBER

Scarecrows and Mephistos will show up to bug you. Bust out the Buster and show them the backdoor bugaloo to clear the area. Exit back to the Large Hall.

++AREA: LARGE HALL

Three Frosts will be waiting for you in the halls, so be ready to fight back. Eliminate the Frosts and exit back out to the Grand Hall.

++AREA: GRAND HALL

Approach the red crest (where you destroyed the coffin) and jump to the chandelier above. Strike the base of the chandelier to trigger a cutscene. Now enter the newly opened path and go down the stairs.

See that glowing green thing behind the metal bars? Use the Grim Grip to grab a Vital Star S! Now exit the room to a new area.

Enter the chasm but DO NOT jump down just yet! To the left of the screen is a Blue Orb Fragment sitting and waiting to be taken. Carefully walk around the ledge and then grab it. Now jump down to the bottom of the laboratory. Ignore the red Combat Adjusticator and enter the next area.

++AREA: R & D ACCESS

--NEW ENEMY: CUTLASSThese enemies "swim" under and around the area. All Nero has to do is simply grab them with the Grim Grip so that he can inflict some damage. Use the Buster on them to shorten the battle. Once all of them are fried, exit the area through the other doorway.

The concept of this "puzzle" is really simple. In order for Nero to exit, he needs to roll the dice. Whatever number it lands on is how many spaces his "shadow" can move. Understand it so far?

There are four different colors on the board and each one gives you a certain "prize":

--RED CIRCLEThis is NOT the one you want to land on. If your shadow lands on this circle, prepare to face off against some baddies.

--WHITE CIRCLEThis is a freebie. It allows Nero to roll the dice again.

--BLUE CIRCLEThis one is also a freebie. Chests will appear on the floor that contains goodies like Orbs.

--YELLOW CIRCLEIf you land on this circle, Nero will automatically be transported to another Yellow circle further down the board. Consider yourself lucky if you get this one!

It doesn't matter where Nero stands. When you approach the dice, watch the number that appears on top. Strike the dice when the number you want appears on top (but you have to be quick) and that number will be the number of spaces that Nero's shadow can move. Make it all the way to the end to finish this piece of crap goddamned puzzle.

The point of this battle is to shatter the large glass mirror that Agnus is standing behind to win the battle. See those large flying swords (called Gladius)? They can be painful if you don't evade them properly.

Use the Grim Grip to grab them in mid-air and then immediately use the Buster to throw it at the mirror. That's it! That's all you have to do for this battle, so evade the sword attacks, and then grapple and throw them at the mirror until it finally shatters to a million pieces. Oh yeah, and watch out for that electric shock on the floor! I can't make it sound any easier than that, so GET TO IT ALREADY.

After the long cutscene, Nero will have the ability to use the Yamato Devil Trigger! Now exit the area.

++AREA: FORIS FALLS

--OBJECTIVE: GET TO THE FORIS FALLS ENTRANCE--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Approach the blue mechanism and strike it to trigger a cutscene. From there, go upstairs and move towards the ledge near the exit door. You'll notice a floating Blue Orb Fragment. Do you see it?

In order to retrieve it, face towards the Orb and then perform a Streak to catapult Nero across the ledge. It will take a few tries to get it, so just keep doing it!

Once you're done playing with the grill in the washing machine, exit the area.

++AREA: ANGEL CREATION

Enter into the factory to face off against a trio of Biancos. These guys should be easy by now, so GET TO IT! Use the Buster on each of them to kill them faster. After you're done, make your way to the back of the room to see three cages. Behind one of the cages is a Secret Mission doorway!

In the forest area, there are large pods on the ground that looks like cocoons. Destroy them to unleash a bunch of Red Orbs. This area is clear of enemies, so its exploration time!

There is a large tree branch with cocoons and a Red Orb statue near the gazebo. Approach the large gazebo in the center of the area and the Rusalka Corpse will start buzzing off. In the center of the gazebo is a doorway to a Secret Mission!

++RED ORB FARMING NOTE: You can start farming for Red Orbs in this mission. To gather 4,100+ Red Orbs in a few seconds, start this mission and then approach the Red Orb statue. Rev up the Red Queen to max power, activate Devil Trigger and start whacking away with regular combos until the statue shatters. By doing this, you will gather around 4,100+ Red Orbs in under 20 seconds. From there, RESTART the mission and repeat this tactic until you are satisfied with the amount you've accumulated.

Once you're done canoodling, make your way to the next area.

++AREA: WINDSWEPT VALLEY

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE HOLY WATER

Before you jump down to the bottom of the mountain, make a left turn and follow the ledges to the end to find a lone Holy Water sitting and waiting for your ass. Now jump down to the bottom to encounter some new baddies.

--NEW ENEMY: CHIMERA SEEDThese things are a total joke. Simply grapple them and then use the Buster to tear them to shreds. Too easy. In the area are two large sealed doors that can only be opened with a Gyro Blade.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE GYRO BLADE

There's nothing else to do in the area, so go up the stairs and enter the large building.

++AREA: RUINED CHURCH

In this area, the Chimera Seeds will morph with the scarecrows to form a full Chimera enemy. Although they don't look any different, the Chimera have the ability to use sharp blades even after Nero knocks them down, so BE CAREFUL when fighting them!

Once you're done with these freaks, look to the right side of the room to see glass walls that can be shattered. Shatter the glass wall to reveal some more cocoons and a Combat Adjusticator (for Dante). Before you go upstairs, there is another glass wall UNDER the stairs. If you shatter the glass, you will be blocked by red tree bark but REMEMBER this area! Now go up the stairs and activate the blue mechanism to reveal a glowing pathway.

Quickly make your way down the path before it disappears and exit through the Emblem Door.

++AREA: RUINED VALLEY

Go up the metal stairs and catapult from ledge to ledge to a new puzzle...if you can call it that.

This "puzzle" is almost similar to the Torture Chamber puzzle. After Nero activates the blue mechanism, a set of floor tiles will appear. After a few seconds, another set of floor tiles will appear and the last set will DISAPPEAR. Understand how it works?

The only thing that will distract Nero are the two Mephistos floating around. Avoid using aerial Busters on them and patiently wait for them to get close to use a Buster. As the floor disappears, quickly jump to the next set or else Nero will fall to the area below (Ruined Lowlands). If he does fall to the bottom, Nero then needs to eliminate a bunch of baddies in order to get back to the top.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

As you do this puzzle, look above to see a Blue Orb Fragment floating above the disappearing tiles. When Nero is close to it, use an Air Hike to grab it. Back to the puzzle!

The key to this puzzle is patience. If you can't spend the time to patiently wait, then your impatient ass deserves to keep falling to the bottom of the goddamned pit! When the floor is about to disappear, quickly move to the next appearing set of tiles or jump towards it. Rotate the camera so that you don't miss the jump. Keep jumping on the next set of tiles until the path towards the door opens up. From there, get your impatient ass to the next area.

For this mission, Nero has 60 seconds to jump to the very top of the chasm to find a Blue Orb Fragment. Let me explain how it works:

There are a total of FIVE red crests to jump on. The fourth crest is guarded by a steel cage and the fifth red crest looks impossible to reach. Before you do this mission, Nero must have the AIR HIKE ability or else he won't be able to reach the last red crest.

--RED CREST #1: Jump straight up and then use the Grim Grip to grapple TWO grips in mid-air. When Nero grabs the second grip, direct him towards the second crest.

--RED CREST #2: When Nero lands on this crest let him jump straight up and then grapple TWO more Grim Grips and direct him towards the third red crest.

--RED CREST #3: Jump straight up and you will see that the fourth crest is guarded by a steel cage. Simply do a mid-air combo to break one side of the cage. Fall back to the previous crest and then jump straight up and direct Nero to the middle of the steel cage crest.

--RED CREST #4 (STEEL CAGE): Again, jump straight up and then use the Grim Grip to grapple a single grip. As soon as Nero catapults higher, use an Air Hike jump to jump to the last crest located ABOVE the Grim Grip. The Air Hike jump is tricky and might cause you to fall all the way back down to the bottom.

Chimera will appear in the area, so start eliminating them! Clear the area and then exit.

++AREA: WINDSWEPT VALLEY

You just found the Gyro Blade! Now activate it and hurl it at the doorway to bust it open. Use the Gyro on the Chimera and then hurl the Gyro at the other sealed doorway. When the path is open, head down the stairs to the next area.

++AREA: RUINED VALLEY

Get ready for a semi-Indiana Jones type of chase. Quickly run down the metal stairs to avoid getting chomped by Echidna. Destroy the cocoons blocking the way and then make it all the way to the end of the path and then exit out.

++AREA: FORGOTTEN RUINS

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Approach the nearby blue Combat Adjusticator and start whacking away at it with some hard combos. Keep attacking it until Nero receives an ATOMIC rating to receive a Blue Orb Fragment! WOO-HOO!

Now continue down the path to encounter some more Chimera. Eliminate them all and then access the Divinity Statue at the end of the path. Stock up on stuff and then enter the next area for a boss battle!

Echidna likes to play it rough! The battle is not so difficult than the battle with Bael but you still need to be fast with your evasion moves. Echidna uses a couple of killer moves:

--VIPER SLAMEchidna hovers around the arena and then quickly knocks you down. Use a well-timed evasion roll to get out of the way of her attack or use a Buster grab to smack her just as she gets close to you.

--VIPER SEEDSEchidna spreads her "legs" and starts laying eggs. Simply use the Grim Grip to grapple near the vulva-looking sac and then use a Buster to smack that sack up. Yes, I made it sound disgusting, so what?

--VIPER TENTACLESEchidna plants herself on the ground and summons a bunch of her tentacles from the ground to pound you. Catapult towards her head and then whack, whack, whack!

--VIPER ANTENNAEThis is Echidna's only melee attack where she double-swings the antenna on her head in circle. Use two back jumps to evade this cheap attack.

When she moves around the arena, catapult towards her head and then start wailing at her body. From there, you'll be spending a lot of your time evading and then attacking as soon as she stops. When she gets the wind knocked out of her, grapple towards her and use the Buster to trigger a special attack to reduce her health by 15%.

Just as she begins to lose more health, she starts glowing in a gold color and starts hurling seeds at you. Ignore the seeds and continue the assault until she gets knocked out. Once Echidna is out for the count, jump up towards her and use the Buster to end the battle in stylish fashion!

Nero will obtain the SEPHIROTHIC FRUIT which will allow him to disperse the red tree barks blocking certain paths.

Make you way down the path towards the archway. As you pass under the archway, the Rusalka Corpse will start buzzing. Look above the archway to see a cocoon on the ceiling. Do a Kick Jump and then whack it to reveal a Blue Orb Fragment underneath it.

To retrieve the Orb, go back out and jump on top of the pillar on the right side of the archway entrance. Get in close to the Orb and then use the Grim Grip to grab it! Now jump back down and continue through the area. Eliminate the enemies in the way and exit to the next area.

++AREA: LAPIS RIVER

--OBJECTIVE: GO BACK TO THE RUINED CHURCH

The area is enemy-free, so collect more Red Orbs (and try out Secret Mission 5 if you haven't done so). Exit through the northern side to the next area.

++AREA: ANCIENT PLAZA

--NEW ENEMY: ASSAULTThese guys are the lizard version of the Frosts. They use a small shield for protection and like to use ground attacks. But they're no different than the Frosts, so just use mid-air Busters and aerial combos to eliminate them all. When all of them are slaughtered, exit out to the next area.

++ARE: WINDSWEPT VALLEY

Ignore the Gyro Blade (you don't need it) and just make your way up the stairs to the Ruined Church.

++AREA: RUINED CHURCH

A large gaggle of Scarecrows, Chimeras, and Assaults will appear in the area. Eliminate them with some Buster combos to clear the area. From there, collect the remaining Red Orbs from the cocoons and walk up to the red tree under the stairs to open a new path.

++AREA: THE LOST WOODS

Approach the mantle in the center of the area to encounter a REALLY easy puzzle.

This puzzle is short and simple. There are three paths to follow: one on the north, one on the east, and one on the west of the mantle. The main point of this puzzle is to follow the light and find the way out of the woods.

Nero needs to enter THREE different paths in order to solve the puzzle. If he enters the wrong path, he enters the Hidden Pit and has to kill some enemies to escape back to the Lost Woods entrance.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Believe it or not, there is a reason to enter the Hidden Pit! Enter the wrong path (intentionally) to get transported to Hidden Pit. Kill all the enemies but DO NOT exit yet! There is a Blue Orb Fragment floating way high above the center of the area, so use an Air Hike to grab the fragment. Now get outta there and solve the puzzle!

Here's how the puzzle works: look at the shadow of the altar. If the shadow is pointing in a specific direction, go the OPPOSITE way. Enter the path on the NORTH and this will lead Nero back to the Lost Woods entrance. Now take the EAST path and then enter the WEST path to solve the puzzle. Easy!

Simply traverse the bridge all the way to the end and exit out. DO NOT jump down the Forgotten Ruins bridge to the bottom! If you do, you have to navigate all the way back to the Ruined Church!

++AREA: ANCIENT TRAINING GROUNDS

As soon as you enter the area, a variety of scarecrows and Assaults will appear. Take on the lizards first and then deal with the scarecrows. Once that's done, approach the Divinity Statue and stock up on stuff because the next boss battle is gonna be a doozy!

Angelo Credo is not as tough as the other Knights that you've encountered but he is still quite dangerous. AC has some damaging attacks up his sleeve:

--FOUR-HIT COMBOHe'll usually retaliate with this combo if he blocks your attacks. To avoid getting hit, jump back FOUR times while still locked-on him to evade the combo.

--DOWNWARD STRIKEIf you break Credo's guard, he'll fall back for a second. If Nero doesn't attack him immediately after the guard break, Credo will slam his sword down on Nero. It's a sneaky move, so jump back if you can't counter from the guard break!

--CRESCENT FIRE SLASHThis also a retaliation attack where he jumps up and does a crescent slash on the floor. Simply jump straight up or back to avoid getting hit by this cheap attack.

--JOUST PROJECTILESWhen AC zooms to the other side of the arena, he'll shout "Show me what you got!" and start throwing large jousts at you. Use the Buster grab to snatch the joust and throw it back at him (or evade if you miss).

Just like the battles with the other Knights, the main tactic is to break Credo's guard by using the Streak on him. When he falls back from the attack, immediately do a High Roller on him and then perform an aerial combo and a mid-air Buster to knock him down.

Simply evade his attacks and then keep trying to break his guard and using the Buster. Follow this tactic and you should be able to defeat him WITHOUT using Devil Trigger. After the battle, Nero will receive the AEGIS SHIELD. This item will allow Nero to use enemies as shields.

Enter the next area and destroy the furniture for some Red Orbs. Exit out to the next bridge and prepare to meet a new enemy.

--NEW ENEMY: ALTO ANGELOThese guys are 'roided up versions of Bianco Angelo. Alto is accompanied by two Knights and they have a new attack. The new attack consists of them falling back and then rushing at you with their jousts. Simply evade all three rush attacks and then defeat them the same usual way: from behind.

Be careful of Alto Angelo though, because he likes to use charged-up sword strikes which can be quite annoying if you aren't watching him. Use a Buster on Alto Angelo to defeat him. Now enter the next building.

++AREA: GRAND HALL

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

There are a couple of things to find in the Grand Hall. To the right side of the entrance is a hidden Devil Star S sitting in the corner. On the left side of the hall is a blue Combat Adjusticator. Whack away at it with some mixed combos until Nero receives a SMOKIN' rating to unleash a Blue Orb Fragment!

Now that you've collected all the stuff, exit outside to trigger a cutscene. From there, go back inside the Grand Hall and enter the newly opened doorway (watch out for those lasers) and go upstairs.

++AREA: KEY CHAMBER

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE KEY OF CRONUS

As soon as you enter, get ready! Alto Angelo and his crew make a surprise ambush, so get to it! Eliminate Alto and the boys to unlock a new item. Approach the altar and get the KEY OF CRONUS. This item enables Nero to slow down time to a minimum when he activates a Chrono Slicer in the area.

Exit the area by activating the Chrono Slicer and then carefully get through the lasers and go upstairs.

++AREA: THE GAUNTLET

The Rusalka Corpse will start buzzing as you enter the Gauntlet. Stand in the middle of the metal fence on the floor and a large gaggle of Red Orbs will come flying down. Now approach the blue mechanism and activate it to start the Gauntlet challenge.

--FIRST FLOOR: SCARECROWSDefeat the scarecrows to activate the elevator to the second floor. At the top, you'll notice a Blue Orb Fragment. Ignore it for now and exit. Use the Chrono Slicer and carefully maneuver your way to the next elevator.

--SECOND FLOOR: FROSTSFour Frosts will appear in this challenge, so bust out the hard combos and eliminate them! On the next floor, use the Chrono Slicer and then maneuver around the lasers to the next elevator.

--THIRD FLOOR: ASSAULTSEliminate the lizards in high style to complete the Gauntlet challenge. If you were able to get through the whole thing with little damage, then good for you!

Angelo Agnus is much tougher (and WAY cheaper) than Angelo Credo and you'll see it when you get to this point in the game. Be sure to stock up on lots of Vital Stars because this is gonna be a long battle. AA uses some devastating moves:

--GLADIUS STRIKEAgnus will summon a bunch of swords (just like the last time you fought him) and throw them at you. Remember, grab the swords with the Grim Grip and then use the Buster to throw them at him.

--CUTLASS STRIKEAgnus summons two Cutlass fish and then starts swinging them at you.

--FIREBALL PROJECTILESFor this attack, Agnus will hurl fireballs at you. Yes, it's a super lame attack, but you still have to roll away to avoid getting hit.

--SOUL SUCKERHe prepares for this attack by saying "Your power will be mine!" If you can damage him before he initiates this attack, then he won't grab you. If he DOES grab you, he absorbs about 10% of your health. CHEAP.

--SOUL ERASER ("TIME TO DIE!")This is Agnus' most annoyingly cheapest attack. He turns green and then uses an explosion of energy to suck a large amount of health out of Nero. As soon as you see him do this, catapult towards him and then smack him until he falls back or else you'll pay dearly.

Catapult up to Agnus and start wailing away with aerial combos. Evade the attacks I mentioned above (including his face grab move) and keep the pressure on him so that he doesn't use his cheap life-sucking attacks. When he gets knocked out, grab him with the Buster to trigger a cool grab move. Repeat until Agnus falls on his st-t-t-tuttering ass.

Exit Agnus' room and go back to the Gauntlet. Stock up on stuff from the Divinity statue if you need to and enter the elevator to encounter a new enemy!

--NEW ENEMY: FAUSTFaust is bigger version of the Mephisto and has some painful laser swipes. Faust is usually accompanied by two Mephistos but defeating him is still the same. Use mid-air Busters to punch him in the face. Keep punching him until he reveals his true form and falls to the ground. Wail away with hard combos until they all perish.

--OBJECTIVE: EXIT THE BUILDING

As soon as that's done, the elevator will descend to the second floor. Use the Chrono Slicer and maneuver around the lasers to the next elevator. Activate the blue mechanism to reveal the exit. Use the Chrono Slicer to freeze the lasers and then jump down the newly revealed exit to the bottom of the Gauntlet. DO NOT LEAVE THE AREA JUST YET! There's Blue Orb fragment to retrieve.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

After jumping down to the Gauntlet, approach the blue mechanism and activate it to bring the elevator back down. Take the elevator to the second floor and then use the Chrono Slicer to get into the next elevator. Take the second elevator to the third floor.

After the elevator stops, jump down to the second floor and rotate the camera to find a Blue Orb fragment floating near the elevator shaft. Simply jump towards it to retrieve it. Now jump down and exit the area.

++AREA: KEY CHAMBER

Alto and his boys make ANOTHER surprise ambush. Use the Chrono Slicer to slow down time and use it to defeat Alto (or just escape).

++AREA: GRAND HALL

Exit out of the Grand Hall to the newly revealed bridge. Cross the bridge and enter the next building.

++AREA: SECURITY CORRIDOR

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE SECRET MISSION

You got a ton of lasers that are moving and are at a set pattern. It's almost similar to the laser puzzle from Resident Evil 4. Use the Chrono Slicer and maneuver your way past the lasers. Jump over the ones that are low and run under the ones that are high. Simple, right?

When you make it to the other side, the Rusalka Corpse will start buzzing. Approach the wall near the Chrono Slicer to find a Secret Mission door.

For this mission, Nero has to eliminate all of the Chimeras before they morph with the lone Scarecrow. To complete this mission, use Nero's HOLD move on the nearby Scarecrow and then quickly jump towards the path that has the Gyro Blade. Toss the scarecrow above the Gyro Blade area and then deal with the Chimera seeds the same usual way.

After all the hijinks, exit the Security Corridor to the next area. Inside this area is a giant whirling set of blades. Simply jump down to the bottom (don't jump near the blades) to encounter Faust and his crew. Eliminate Faust and the boys to reveal another Chrono Slicer.

Activate the Slicer to slow down the blades. From there, jump on top from blade to blade. Ignore the blade on the very top and then jump towards the next doorway before the Chrono Slicer deactivates. It will take a few tries, so DO IT!

++AREA: EXPERIMENT DISPOSAL

A trio of Biancos will appear here, so start busting them open! The tight corridor is a great place to trap them, so lure them in and wreck their asses. Once you're hot in the anchovy, be sure to bust up the Red Orb Statue in the corner. Now go all the way to the back and approach the purple pedestal but DO NOT take the elevator just yet!!!

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Just above the purple elevator is a very well-hidden Blue Orb fragment. To retrieve it, Nero must have the Air Hike ability. Air Hike to the top ledge above the elevator (it'll take a few tries). When you land on the ledge, rotate the camera to find the Orb. Do another Air Hike towards the Orb to retrieve it! You can also obtain this Orb in Mission 12 with Dante (in case you missed it here). Now take the elevator up.

++AREA: MEETING ROOM

A duo of Alto Angelos will appear for an ambush, so be ready! Unlike the Biancos, Alto uses a sword which can be more painful than a joust. As usual, attack them from behind and use the mid-air Buster to shorten the battle. Once that's done, enter the next corridor.

This mission is EXACTLY the same as the Disappearing Floor Puzzle from Mission 8. Nero has to quickly work his way past disappearing floor tiles while evading (or eliminating) a trio of Mephistos. Too easy.

One thing you need to remember before facing off against Dante: BE DEFENSIVE! Dante is also just as defensive and can evade all of Nero's attacks with no problem. Not only that, but Dante can counter attack at Nero immediately. Dante is equipped with all four of his styles (Swordmaster, Trickster, Royal Guard, and Gunslinger) and he isn't afraid to kick your ass with them either. You'll know if Dante is switching styles when he says the name out loud ("Swordmaster!").

As I mentioned above, BE DEFENSIVE! If you spend most of the battle trying to do a Streak or High Roller on Dante, be prepared to meet a Stinger in the face. Also, avoid using the Buster from up close because he'll just smack you. The Blue Rose does nothing for this battle and activating the Yamato Devil Trigger is a waste of time.

So how do you defeat the almighty Dante then? Read carefully as I explain. Out of Nero's list of attacks, the only one that will cause major damage to Dante is the mid-air Buster. When the battle begins, press the R1 Button to lock-on to Dante and then walk BACKWARDS. You want Dante to walk up to you so that he can initiate a combo.

When Dante gets close, he'll start a combo (it doesn't matter which style he's using). Immediately jump back while still locked-on to him and use the Grim Grip to grab Dante while he's performing his attack. As soon as you grab Dante, perform a short mid-air combo and then a Buster attack to knock him down. Repeat this tactic as much as you can to whittle Dante's health faster.

The strategy I mentioned above is the one I found to be the most effective. It doesn't require you to waste ANY Vital Stars or use the Devil Trigger.

++ALTERNATE CHEAPER METHOD:I have not tried this tactic, but I have been told that Nero can use the gazebo in the middle of the room. Jump on top of the gazebo and wait for Dante to jump up to you. When Dante jumps towards you, quickly use the Buster to grab him and slam him down. Repeat until satisfied. If this tactic worked for you, then use it.

The area is empty for now, so make your way to the back of the room to find a blue Combat Adjusticator. This will be the last for Nero to break, so strike it with mixed combos until Nero receives a SMOKIN' SICK STYLE (SSS) rating to unleash a Blue Orb Fragment.

Once you're done, approach the blue mechanism and activate it to reveal some Grim Grips. Catapult to the second floor and get ready for some more enemies. Faust and his boys will crash the party, so bust a move on them and use the mid-air Buster to get them. Kill all three to clear the area. Approach the elevator and take it to the top.

--OBJECTIVE: OPEN THE LOCKED GATE

A floor portal will appear here, but ignore it for now. Approach the metal gate and there will be a note on the side that says "PROCEEDING ALONE IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED". The gate itself has two step-buttons on it that need to be pushed in order to open. To open the gate, walk up to the front of it and the camera angle will change. Use the Grim Grip to grab one of the Scarecrows to open it up. EASY.

--OBJECTIVE: ACTIVATE THE ELEVATOR

Go up the stairs and then access the Divinity Statue to stock up on items because this next section will be a bit difficult. When you're ready to rock, approach the Grim Grips on the opposite side of the floor and catapult to the other ledge. Use the Kick Jump to reach the high ledge and then jump down.

Go to the other end to find THREE more Grim Grips but DO NOT use them yet! Jump down to the bottom and you will find a Devil Star S sitting by itself. Grab it and then go back up to trigger a battle with a trio of Biancos. Eliminate them to clear the area and then jump back up and catapult to the next ledge and jump down.

A solo Alto Angelo will show up near the blue mechanism, so kick his ass to clear the area. Activate the blue mechanism to reveal more sets of Grim Grips. Catapult your way to the very top and get ready for some more hilarity with Bianco and his boys. Approach the red activation device and prepare for Bianco's ambush.

Eliminate Bianco and his boys to activate the elevator. Now jump down from the left side and make your way back to the elevator. From here, more Knights and Scarecrows will appear for an ambush. Take care of them and then SAVE your game. Stock up at the Divinity Statue and then take the elevator for a boss battle!

Sanctus is NOT as difficult to defeat as he seems. All it takes is some fast evasion and a few hard aerial slashes to shatter this protective shell. Even with that in mind, Sanctus does have some annoying moves:

--REPENT!Sanctus will throw two waves of fire at you. Simply evade left to right to avoid getting hit by both of them. If he doesn't throw fire, he'll shoot fireballs using the two turkey basters that are in front of him.

--ELECTRIC SHOCKSanctus will shoot a large stream of electricity from his hands towards you. Evade this attack by catapulting above him.

--THE SAVIOR IS COMINGSanctus will usually do this move after he takes massive damage. He creates an explosion of energy around him that damages Nero if he is too close.

The main way to damage Sanctus is to damage the halo shell that he is using to hover around the area. Catapult towards Sanctus and smite him with a barrage of aerial combos. Evade his cheap attacks and then keep attacking him in the air until his halo shell shatters (leaving him weak and vulnerable). Grab him with the Grim Grip and then use the Buster to reduce Sanctus' health by 20%. As long as you stay evasive, there won't be any need to use Devil Trigger. When Sanctus has 30% of his health left, he will start using the Savior statue.

The Savior's ground pound doesn't really harm Nero, so just wait for the statue's arm to pull back and then wait for Sanctus to reappear. Continue the same strategy to end the battle.

--MAIN OBJECTIVE: COME TO GRIPS WITH THE POWER OF THE LEGENDARY DEVIL HUNTER!

This is the point of the game where the dynamics change. You are now in control of Dante, so be prepared for a different kind of offence because Dante will not have any use of the Devil-Bringer. Unlike Nero, Dante is a MUCH faster character (in fact, he might be too fast) and has some devastating combos up his sleeve.

++AREA: ASCENSION CHAMBER

Test out all of Dante's moves and Styles on the Scarecrows. Switch styles and see which one suits you best. Once you're done, exit outside to the next area.

++AREA: MEETING ROOM

Stock up at the Divinity Statue if you need to and then enter the Meeting Room to meet a new enemy.

--NEW ENEMY: MEGA SCARECROWThis enemy is more of the same as its smaller brethren but they do have some sharp attacks. Slam a Stinger + Million Stab combo in their face to clear them all out.

++AREA: EXPERIMENT DISPOSAL

--OBJECTIVE: OBTAIN THE WING TALISMAN--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE GOLD ORB

Exit the room and approach the elevator to receive the WING TALISMAN. After ascending the elevator, Dante will have TEN minutes to complete the mission. Jump down to the bottom of the Gauntlet to see a blue mechanism but DO NOT activate it yet!

There is a Gold Orb on the other side of the room, so go and grab it! Now activate the mechanism to summon the Gauntlet elevator. Enter the elevator and get ready for some fun!

A trio of Frosts will appear, so eliminate them with some Stinger combos in their fat faces. Defeat all three of them to activate the elevator. When the elevator stops, exit out and then leave the area (but don't forget about the Red Orb statue in the corner).

++AREA: SECURITY CORRIDOR

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE KEY OF CRONUS

After the cutscene, Dante will be at the bottom of the area with the whirling blades. Just like in the previous mission, Faust and his boys will appear to ambush you. Since Dante can't use a mind-air Buster on them, the next best thing is Ebony & Ivory.

Use rapid gunfire on Faust and his boys until one of them falls to the ground. From there, shove a Stinger in their faces until all of them are gone. Once Faust and the boys are finished, grab the KEY OF CRONUS from the mantle to stop the whirling blades.

Exit out of this corridor by using the blades. In the next area, use the Chrono Slicer to slow down time and then work your way thru the lasers. There are a couple of tricky jumps for Dante to make, so be careful! Exit the area.

++AREA: GRAND HALL

After crossing the bridge, enter the Grand Hall to encounter Angelo Bianco and his boys. The strategy for these guys is still the same (attack from behind) but you'll need to be more evasive to avoid getting poked around cheaply. Change to Trickster style if you need to and continue to pound hard combos on them to finish them off.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Before you leave the area, take the stairway on the left side of the Grand Hall up to the Key Chamber. Ignore the Gladius swords and continue up to the Gauntlet elevator. Approach the red Combat Adjusticator and whack away at it until Dante receives a BRUTAL rating to unleash a Blue Orb Fragment.

Once that's done, exit outside and go down the bridge all the way back to the forest area to complete the mission.

--MAIN OBJECTIVE: DRIVE DOWN THE DRAGON THAT SPREADS ITS WICKEDNESS THROUGH THE FOREST!

--OBJECTIVE: GET TO THE DEN OF THE SHE-VIPER

When the mission begins, you'll notice all the purple mists blocking the way of certain paths. Those mists act as teleportation devices that lead you to certain areas of the forest.

++AREA: ANCIENT TRAINING GROUND

Stock up at the Divinity Statue if you need to and hightail it to the next area.

++AREA: FORGOTTEN RUINS

The doorway exit is locked, so jump down to the area below to encounter some Scarecrows and Chimera seeds. Eliminate the seeds first and then take care of the scarecrows. Approach the purple mist dead ahead and go through it to teleport to the next area.

++AREA: WINDSWEPT VALLEY

--NEW ENEMY: CHIMERA ASSAULTSThese guys are the cheapest enemies you will face in the game. Not only do their sharp blades move around constantly, but the Assaults will also swarm you. Spread your combos evenly between the three of them and you should be able to get by without taking too much damage.

When the area is clear, IGNORE the two paths on the right side. They lead to nowhere, so approach the purple mist on the stairway going to the Ruined Church to teleport to the next area.

++AREA: ANCIENT PLAZA

A handful of Assaults will rise up to fight you. Eliminate them all with a Stinger in their stupid shielded faces. Once they're dead, exit the area from the other end to the next area.

++AREA: LAPIS RIVER

When you enter this area, Faust and his boys will make an appearance. You DO NOT have to fight them! Instead of fighting, go under the bridge to find the purple mist. Enter through it to get to the next area.

++AREA: WINDSWEPT VALLEY/RUINED CHURCH

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Enter the Ruined Church. Approach the cocoons on the right side to unleash some Red Orbs. Also, approach the red Combat Adjusticator and attack it until Dante receives an ATOMIC rating to receive a Blue Orb Fragment. Once that's done, take the doorway under the stairs to the next area.

++AREA: LOST WOODS

Eliminate the Assaults and then solve the Lost Woods Puzzle. Again. With that in mind, the solution for this puzzle is different than it was for Nero's mission. To solve it, Dante needs to go through FOUR paths to solve the damn thing.

Take these directions: NORTH SOUTH EAST EAST. If you go in the wrong direction, you will be taken to the Hidden Pit where you have to face off against some tough Chimera-infested doofuses. Solve the puzzle to get to the last area.

++AREA: FORGOTTEN RUINS

Stock up at the Divinity Statue and then go up the path to a boss fight.

I won't go into too much detail here since this practically the same battle as before. When using Dante, stay evasive of Echidna's attacks and whack away with Swordmaster combos. When she plants herself on the ground and summons her tentacles, use Dante's DRIVE attack from a far distance to avoid using up-close combos. Keep up the pressure on her and the battle will be over in no time.

After the battle, Dante will obtain the GILGAMESH. This item enables Dante to use melee combos on his enemies. Now exit out of the area to complete the mission.

--NEW ENEMY: FAULTThese weird looking things grab you and pull you under to the Ruined Lowlands area (from the Disappearing Floor puzzle). You will know when they are appearing when they make a rattling noise. They can't be killed but you can do two quick Stingers on them to unleash mini-Green Orbs for health.

Continue down the path while avoiding the Faults. Eliminate the Scarecrows and the Chimera with caution and then exit when the area is clear.

++AREA: LAPIS RIVER

Faust and his boys will appear here and you cannot leave until you eliminate them. The best way to defeat them without getting pulled by the Fault is to stay airborne. Equip the Coyote-A and use nonstop mid-air blasts to get the Mephistos. Keep up the strategy for Faust and you should be able to get by with little problems.

If you need health, wait for a Fault to appear and then use a double-Stinger to unleash some Green Orbs. Exit out to the next area when it's cleared.

++AREA: ANCIENT PLAZA

A handful of Assaults will appear in the area just to make it harder for you to get by. Eliminate them all cautiously (from the Fault) and then hightail it outta there.

++AREA: WINDSWEPT VALLEY

You're almost done with the mission! As you enter the area, Chimera-infested Assaults and scarecrows will appear. Eliminate them all using caution (from the Fault) to clear the mission of enemies. Once that's done, exit out of the area to the top of the mountain.

++AREA: FOREST ENTRANCE

There are a couple of goodies here for you to retrieve. Obviously, approach the Red Orb Statue and pound some combos on it to unleash a bunch of Red Orbs. Secondly, go under the tree bark filled with cocoons and destroy them to get more Red Orbs.

On top of the large tree is a Vital Star M. To retrieve it, go inside the tree bark and look for the small opening with a green-ish glow. Jump up towards it to retrieve it. Lastly, try out Secret Mission 08 located in the middle of the gazebo. Since the mission is primarily for Dante, DO IT. Once you're done, hightail all the way back to Fortuna Castle to complete the mission.

Take the left path going up the stairs to find a Red Combat Adjusticator. Pound a barrage of mixed combos until Dante receives a SMOKIN' STYLE (SS) rating to unleash a Blue Orb Fragment. When that's done, exit from the upper left doorway to the next area.

++AREA: CENTRAL COURTYARD

--NEW ENEMY: BLITZMake your way to the middle of the terrace to encounter a new enemy! The majority of his attacks are all electric-based (as if you didn't already know). You CANNOT damage him while he is still electrically charged. So far, the best strategy I found to use against this dumbass is to use the walls. Move Dante near the wall (with the lamppost) and use Kick Jumps on it to stay airborne from its attacks.

Equip Ebony & Ivory and shoot him with a giant amount of bullets while Kick Jumping. Keep on jumping up and shooting him in mid-air and you should be able to weaken him after a ton of bullets have been sprayed into his cranium. Once he's weakened, he'll stay immobile and you can approach and damage him until he recharges his electric armor. Continue this tactic one more time and then he'll turn RED.

From that point, once he turns red, simply evade his super electric blasts by rolling left to right and then he'll explode. STUPID ELECTRIC ASSHOLE! After all that hi-larious crap, exit back into the castle.

++AREA: GRAND HALL

--OBJECTIVE: GO TO THE LIBRARY

There's nothing to do in the Grand Hall, so just enter the blue doorway to the Gallery and then exit the Gallery to the Library. Stock up on stuff at the Divinity Statue before going in the Library!

When you enter the Library, be ready to face off two waves of Angelo Bianco and his boys. As usual, shove a Stinger in their faces while evading them. Attack them from behind and use the Coyote-A for faster results. Once the room is cleared, enter the newly opened path.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE SECRET MISSION

Before going down the stairs, approach the Red Orb statue and gather all the Red Orbs. Now jump down the spiral stairs but DO NOT exit the area yet! There is a Secret Mission doorway underneath the stairs, so examine it to start a Secret Mission.

There is nothing in this area and only one doorway to enter. Enter through that door to the next area.

++AREA: DINING ROOM

Make your way all the way to the main Dining Room to encounter some Scarecrows and Mega-Scarecrows. You can handle these guys, right? I don't need to explain anything! When it's cleared, exit back outside.

++AREA: LARGE HALL

--OBJECTIVE: GO TO THE TORTURE CHAMBER

Navigate the hall towards the red doorway to the Torture Chamber.

++AREA: TORTURE CHAMBER

Eliminate the giant pack of Frosts to open up the doorway. Should be too easy by now, so DO IT. After you're done, jump to the chasm below.

++AREA: SPIRAL WELL

There are no enemies here, so activate the blue mechanism and then step on the blue crest to make a super jump outta there. If you need Red Orbs, then jump on the red crest first. Otherwise, hightail it back to the Torture Chamber.

++AREA: TORTURE CHAMBER

Go all the way to the end and enter the big brown doorway.

++AREA: MASTER'S CHAMBERS

Be prepared! A bunch of Scarecrows will appear here for a distraction. After you kill a few of them, that stupid blitz bunghole will make a surprise appearance. Again, use Kick Jumps on the wall and shoot Ebony & Ivory bullets at him until he's weakened. Kill the bunghole to clear the area. Now exit outside.

++AREA: SOLDIER'S GRAVEYARD

There are no more enemies here, so just destroy everything in the area to gather up some Red Orbs. Approach the Divinity Statue and stock up on stuff and then enter the doorway for a boss battle.

Again, this battle is NO different than it was with Nero. But since you're controlling Dante, his attacks deal a BIT more damage. Start attacking Dagon with hard combos from the left or right side of him until he gets knocked out. When he gets knocked out, pound some combos on his tongue to shave off about 15% of his health. REPEAT. I can't make it sound any simpler than that.

Defeat Dagon to receive Dante's most powerful handgun: PANDORA. From there, jump down to the bottom of the chasm to complete the mission.

--MAIN OBJECTIVE: RETURN THE CONQUEROR OF THE FIRE HELL BACK TO HIS DOMAIN!

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE BLUE ORB FRAGMENT

Just before you enter the next area, there is a Combat Adjusticator to Dante's right. Smack some combos into the thing until Dante receives a SMOKIN' rating to unleash a Blue Orb fragment. Now enter the doorway!

++AREA: R & D ACCESS

The Cutlass fish reappear here. Target them and try to shove a Stinger in their face as they swim around. All it takes is one hit to fish them out. Eliminate them all and then hightail it outta there!

++AREA: CONTAINMENT CHAMBER

This room will contain a mixture of Knights and Gladius swords. Equip the Coyote-A for this section because it'll be Dante's best line of defense. Destroying the Gladius swords are your top priority because they unleash Green Orbs.

Try to get rid of the Gladius swords first and then deal with the Knights last. Once the room is clear, jump towards the next room and exit outside.

++AREA: FORIS FALLS

There's nothing to do here, so go upstairs to the next area.

++AREA: ANGEL CREATION

Enter the area to face off against a duo of Knights. Just take care of them already! If you made it this far and you still can't defeat them with Dante's skills, then I suggest you stop playing and take a break. Come back when you're ready and kick their asses already!

When the duo of Knights are gone, go up the stairway and enter the opposite side to face off against two waves of Angelo Bianco and his boys. Remember, the Coyote-A does wonders against the hovering Knights, so USE IT. Clear this area of these freaks and then exit outside.

++AREA: UNDERGROUND LABORATORY

Jump all the way to the top and then take the long hall to the exit.

++AREA: GRAND HALL

That's it! You are done with Fortuna Castle, so stock up at the Divinity Statue and then hightail it back outside.

++AREA: FORTUNA CASTLE GATES

--NEW ENEMY: BASILISKSThese pooches aren't so terribly strong. In fact, it's kinda lame that they get introduced this far into the game. Equip Pandora and start blasting them with shots.

--OBJECTIVE: FIND THE SECRET MISSION

Clear the area and then take the large mountain path to the top. But BEFORE you exit this area, there is a VERY well-hidden Secret Mission that can be found on the snowy stairway. As you ascend the stairs, there will be a ledge with three hard-to-see mini Red Orbs floating near the mountain wall. Approach the stairway going up and then do an Air Hike and then a Trickster Air Dash in the opposite way followed by a Lucifer attack. This will allow Dante to reach the high ledge with the Secret Mission.

For this mission, Dante simply has to destroy two statues located on the north and the south of Gran Album Bridge in less than 30 seconds. As easy as it sounds, you will NOT have enough time to destroy both statues without some heavy firepower.

You will need an upgraded PANDORA for this mission. To destroy the statues from a far distance, you need to use the PF398: Revenge attack. Press and hold the Square Button and then move the Analog Stick in a left-right-left direction to transform Pandora into Hatred. From there QUICKLY rotate the Analog Stick clockwise to transform Hatred into Revenge. (You'll see it when you try it.)

Use the Revenge shot on both of the statues to destroy them. You'll have to be quick because you'll only have enough time to shoot each statue once! Once that's done, collect your Blue Orb fragment.

This mission requires you to face off against large hordes of enemies in small areas. These enemies should be so easy by now that I don't need to give strategies. But read below to see what to expect per area.

++AREA: PORT CAERULA

--ENEMIES: SCARECROWS & ANGELO BIANCO & ALTO ANGELOKill all the Scarecrows and then Bianco and his boys will show up. Clear the area and then exit outta there.

++AREA: RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

--ENEMIES: ASSAULTS & MEPHISTOSUse hard Stingers on the Assaults and then use the Coyote-A on the Mephistos to shorten the battle. Don't forget to destroy the Red Orb statue! Now hightail it outta there.

++AREA: TERRACE/BUSINESS DISTRICT

--ENEMIES: MEGA SCARECROW & SCARECROWS & BASILISKSThese guys should be so blah and meh for you by now. Eliminate the whole shmegeggy of these fellas to clear this area. After that's finished, DO NOT leave the area just yet!

Look for the building with the large sign that says "RESTAURANT-CAFE". There is a blue-colored awning that you can jump above that reveals a Blue Orb Fragment hidden on a terrace. To reach that high terrace, it will take some SUPER tricky jumping on Dante's part (trust me, the Air Hike and Pandora won't help).

Just before you enter the Opera House area to face off the last set of enemies, look for a closed gate near the entrance. There is a trashcan sitting there that you need to destroy to reveal a Secret Mission door!

--ENEMIES: ANGELO BIANCO & ALTO ANGELO & FAUST & MEPHISTOBlah Blah Blah. Defeat them all using your skills to clear the area. Now go up the stairs and stock up at the Divinity Statue. When you're ready, enter the Opera House for a boss battle.

Oh dear god, can this boss be ANY cheaper? Out of all the major bosses in the game, Angelo Agnus is the most annoyingly cheapest of them all. I hate him. You hate him. We all hate him. Screw this guy and anyone that thinks he's a cool boss!

Anyway, Agnus brings a new attack aside from his fireballs, Gladius swords, his energy-sucking moves, and his Cutlass attacks: Basilisks. Yeah, he can now summon Basilisks. Lame. The strategy against him remains the same from the Nero battle. Use it and just kill this prick.

Defeat Agnus to retrieve an old but familiar item: YAMATO. This item will enable Dante to use the Dark Slayer style of Vergil from DMC3. If you haven't played DMC3, then you'll have no idea what I just said. If you did play it, then ENJOY IT.

GOOD! Now that we know what is what, let's ROCK! The main thing Dante needs to do is destroy the Blue Orbs on the body. As long as you keep moving, the Savior's attacks won't reach Dante (or they'll miss). Jump from platform to platform until Dante reaches the blue mechanism cannon. Activate it to shoot a cannonball at its head to stop it cold.

From there, choose any blue crest and jump from platform to platform. Approach the Blue Orbs at each platform and destroy it by using the Coyote-A (two shots) or Pandora (one shot at close range). Ignore the enemies and just destroy the orbs on each platform.

When you reach the top platform above it's head (where you used the red crest), destroy the last two orbs to complete the first section. When the Savior recovers, jump from platform to platform until you find the blue mechanism electric gun.

Activate the gun to shock the Savior's hand for a short while. From there, run onto the arm and approach the blue orbs on the arm. Dodge the purple fireballs by rolling and evade his hand slap by jumping straight up. There are TWO orbs on his arm, so destroy them.

While you are still on his arm, target his forehead and begin shooting it. If you can destroy it before he swats you off, then the second part of this battle will begin. If not, repeat the strategy until you BLOW it off!

+++ BOSS BATTLE: SAVIOR - PART TWO +++

Now comes the fun part! Savior will start using melee attacks such as his hand, his elbows, and his legs to try and stop you. Also, he has that killer laser blast which you wanna avoid at all costs because it shaves off about 70% of health.

Jump from platform to platform and just start blasting him with your fire arms (either one you choose is fine). Stand near a blue crest to be safe. Keep blasting him until he begins his attack and then move to the blue crest to jump to the next platform. Repeat this simple tactic until he gets knocked out.

Once he's out cold, approach the lone blue crest to land on the platform in front of its chest. Smash the blue orb with some hard combos until he recovers. That's pretty much it! Repeat this tactic and you will finish this sucker off in no time!

Yup, just like the Liar's Dice puzzle at Fortuna Castle, Nero has to go through FIVE of these boards to get to the top. I hope you've got your skills in check because this is gonna be one REALLY long mission!

Read the Liar's Dice section to find out what the colors on the board mean. If you land on a Yellow spot on the board, you'll be transported to a boss battle, so be ready!

--STAIRWAY #1: ANGELO BIANCO & ALTO ANGELO X4These guys should be SO easy for you by now! Eliminate these guys to complete the first step.

--STAIRWAY #2: BERIALThis battle will be a little bit daunting since there are no houses in the area for Green Orbs. But other than that, you can handle this flaming boss, right?

--STAIRWAY #3: DAGONYou will be fighting against Dagon (from Dante's mission) and it will be quite lengthy. He will spend most of the time hopping away and using the Rusalka twins. The Rusalka twins have some painful knife attacks, so be careful of them.

This is it! The last battle to end it all! While Sanctus has become a bit more powerful (and is equipped with the Sparda sword), he is still the same boss from Mission 11. Even with that in mind, he's got some new moves:

--DEATH SENTENCEA bunch of electric lasers will shoot down from every direction. To evade this attack, simply run around the area. For some reason, Nero is immune to this attack when he's moving.

--FIREBALL FURYA whole bunch of fireballs will come shooting down at you. To evade this attack, simply run to the left or right and you won't get touched.

--SPARDA COMBOWhen Sanctus appears on the ground, he will use the Sparda sword by swinging it around him for a two-hit combo. Jump back from Sanctus to avoid getting hit by this cheap attack.

--TURKEY BASTER BLASTThose turkey baster-looking things that stay in front of Sanctus are rarely used. But when he does use it, he'll throw a large amount of them that surround around you and blast you. To avoid getting blasted, wait for them to form a circle around you and then jump straight up to evade the blast. LAME LAME LAME!

Now that you know his moves, let's ROCK! Use the same tactic from Mission 11 to destroy his halo shell. After his shell is destroyed, he will start blocking your attacks. Use a mid-air Buster to knock him out and then another Buster to knock him down on the ground. From there, grab him with the Buster and trigger the grab move to reduce his health by 15%. After doing that for most of the battle, Sanctus will start using a new move when he has less than 30-40% of health left:

--SPARDA RUSHSanctus charges up the Sparda sword and starts rushing at you SIX times. With perfect timing, use the Buster grab just as he rushes towards you and Nero will grab and annihilate him.

Remember, don't get too rough and stay evasive! With enough patience and some kickass combos, you'll defeat Sanctus in no time.

The mission is NOT yet over! There's one last thing to do before seeing the End Credits. Nero will face off against Savior and there is absolutely NO clue given to you how to defeat it.

Here's how it works: the Savior will slam his right hand to the ground and then do a roundhouse punch with his left hand. He also has a lame-ass scream that doesn't really damage you.

Evade his right hand (the left side of the TV screen) and then use the Buster to stun the hand. From there, Savior will start his roundhouse punch (on the right side of the TV screen). DO NOT EVADE THIS ATTACK! When he begins the punch, jump straight up and use the Buster grab BEFORE he hits you. If done correctly, Nero will intercept the attack. From there, Savior will fall on his ass, so jump up to his forehead and initiate another Buster to END the game!

As the credits roll, you have about 90 seconds to eliminate a bunch of Scarecrows before they touch the oh-so-jailbait Kyrie. If one of them gets close and touches her, the "battle" ends and the screen turns to black and the rest of the credits will roll.

But if you CAN protect Kyrie within the time limit...enjoy the extra scene with the Devil Never Cry crew. BOOBS.

**FRAGMENTS NOTE: If you retrieve a Blue Orb Fragment when replaying a mission, you MUST complete the mission or else the Fragment will NOT be counted as collected. If you RETRY or QUIT the mission, it will be forfeited.

Once you complete Human or Devil Hunter Mode, you will unlock quite a bevy of goodies:--BLOODY PALACE--ARTWORK GALLERY--SON OF SPARDA MODE

As you complete the harder modes, you will unlock more modes:--DANTE MUST DIE MODE--HEAVEN OR HELL MODE--HELL AND HELL MODE

When you complete Dante Must Die Mode, you unlock two "new" costumes:--SUPER NERO--SUPER DANTE

++HIGHER DIFFICULTY NOTE:Also remember, once you complete a certain difficulty, Nero and Dante's upgrades and enhancements WILL carry over to the next difficulty. There's no need for you to do all that pesky work again.

Bloody Palace for DMC4 is the same exact useless mode from previous DMC games except this time, all enemy encounters are timed. As you descend from floor to floor, Nero (or Dante) has to kill a given number of enemies before the timer expires (or until they DIE).

For every set of enemies killed, extra time is awarded to you as you descend to the next floor. You will also be awarded if you take no damage and can achieve stylish combos. Every weapon and style that you've unlocked can be used but any healing items are forfeit.

If you need more info regarding this utterly useless mini-game, refer to the various Bloody Palace FAQs at GameFAQS. Those authors had the tolerance to finish this useless mini-game, so give their stuff a read.